Woman allegedly dismembered husband, threw out remains, and stole $120,000 in Social Security benefits
10/26/2021 2:14 pm PDT
LAS VEGAS (TCD) -- A 69-year-old woman allegedly dismembered her deceased husband, threw his packaged remains in the trash, and collected more than $120,000 of his Social Security benefits.
Authorities reportedly launched an investigation following a 2019 tip that Nancy Shedleski’s husband had gone missing. After reviewing medical records, investigators concluded that Shedleski’s husband stopped receiving medical care in 2015 at a Pennsylvania hospital, KLAS-TV reports. Then, in 2017, Shedleski reportedly moved from a home in western Pennsylvania to Las Vegas.
According to KLAS, the Las Vegas Social Security Office allegedly tried contacting Shedleski’s husband in 2019 but never received a response. Shedleski reportedly called Social Security staff back, explaining that she and her husband resided together in Las Vegas.
Towards the end of 2019, investigators reportedly went to Shedleski’s apartment looking for her husband. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Shedleski told investigators that her husband was on a "walkabout," but she later confessed that he died in 2015.
According to KLAS, Shedleski told investigators that she dismembered her husband’s body before packaging up the remains and throwing them into the trash.
Citing court documents, KLAS says, "She called and reported to her family members that [her husband] had died. Shedleski confirmed there was no ambulance, no hospitalization, no funeral, no burial and no cremation for [her husband]."
According to The Associated Press, Shedleski’s husband was in his 70s when he died. His cause of death was not revealed, though AP reports he died in Pennsylvania.
In total, KLAS reports Shedleski had deposited more than $120,000 of her husband’s benefits into her personal bank account, and the Social Security Administration was never told that her husband passed away.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Shedleski said in an interview that she used the money to pay for "her own personal living expenses."
The Associated Press reports that if Shedleski had reported her husband’s death, survivor benefits in 2019 would have added up to $14,000, but her husband’s distributed benefits totaled $24,000 in 2019.
Shedleski was arrested last Thursday and faces a charge of theft of government money. She appeared in court on Friday and was not asked to enter a plea. KLAS reports she was released Monday on bond.
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